alex speier

BALTIMORE -- It is difficult to offer proper context for how bad the Red Sox offense has been. General manager Ben Cherington suggested on Tuesday that the Sox "just haven't clicked offensively," but that hardly does justice to the depths of the team's struggles.

On the heels of a 6-0 loss to the Orioles, which concluded a three-game series in which the Sox managed just ONE TOTAL RUN, only decades could offer a full appreciation for the scope of their offensive futility.

Toward that end:

-- The three games in Baltimore marked the first time since April 1993 that the Sox scored a total of one run over a three-game stretch.

-- It was the first time since April 1981 that the Sox scored one run or less in three consecutive games against one team. (The Sox were shut out in three straight games by the Rangers from April 27-29, 1981.)

-- It was the first time since Sept. 2-4, 1974, that the Orioles held the Red Sox to one run or less over a three-game series.

-- The Red Sox did not have an extra-base hit in either of the last two games of the series, the first time since September 2012 that they had two straight games of nothing but singles, and the first time since August 2009 that they had nothing but singles in two straight games of a series against one team.

Put simply, it was a horrendous offensive showing from which the team could not hide.

"We're always trying to get something going," said Dustin Pedroia. "We just didn't."

Said manager John Farrell: "One run in 27 innings is extremely difficult. You credit their pitching. You credit inning-ending double plays three times tonight. We had big opportunities yesterday that we left a number of men on base, particularly in the early innings. We've got to do a better job offensively all the way around. One run in 27 innings speaks to some quality pitching thrown at us, but we feel like we're capable of more."

With their poor showing in Baltimore, the Sox now are averaging 3.91 runs per game this year, a mark that ranks 13th in the American League, ahead of only the Astros and Rays.

Of course, the Astros and Rays have struggled for offense in the relatively recent past. For the Red Sox, the fact that they are one of the worst offenses in the American League comes as something of a shock.

Just last year, after all, Boston led the majors -- by a considerable margin -- by scoring 5.27 runs per game. And the Red Sox have ranked in the top five in the American League in runs scored in each of the last seven years, along with 11 of the last 12 dating to 2002.

How long has it been since the Sox found themselves amidst such a desperate struggle for runs? The last time the Sox finished in the bottom three in the AL in runs scored was 2000, when their 4.89 runs per game ranked 12th in the then-14-team American League.

How about the last time the Red Sox couldn't average a meager four runs a game? In the past 25 years, it's happened just once, when they plated 3.70 runs per game in 1992.

All of that raises the question: Is there hope of a turnaround? Can a team that engages in a desperate quest for offense at the start of a season find it over the last (roughly) 100 games?

The answer is a qualified yes. Since 2000, there have been four teams that have gone from the American League's bottom three in runs per game through June 11 to the top four from that point forward. Drumroll:

-- In 2012, the Athletics averaged just 3.46 runs per game through June 11, worst in the American League. From that point forward, they averaged 4.97 runs per game (third in the AL) down the stretch; they reached the postseason with a 94-68 record.

-- In 2006, the Royals went from scoring 3.97 runs per game through June 11 (worst in the AL) to 5.10 (third best) over the final 101 games. They finished 62-100.

-- In 2005, the Indians went from 4.12 runs per game through June 11 (worst in the AL) to 5.32 runs per game over their final 102 contests (third-best in the AL); Cleveland was in contention until being eliminated by the Red Sox on the final day of the season, ending the year with a 93-69 record.

-- In 2003, the White Sox went from scoring 3.98 runs per game through June 11 (second worst in the AL) to 5.47 runs per game (second in the AL) over their last 98 games, wrapping up the year with an 86-76 record.

-- In 2000, the Yankees averaged 5.04 runs per game through June 11 (second worst in the AL -- obviously, in a different time and era) before averaging 5.62 runs per game over the subsequent 104 games, fourth most in the AL; they went on to win their third straight World Series.

So, it can happen. It just doesn't happen very often, with a bottom-three offense (through June 11) vaulting near the top of the league just under 10 percent of the time since 2000.

But the trick, of course, is how to get there. The series in Baltimore offered few glimpses as to how the Red Sox might accomplish that.

"We've tried a number of different things, from five or six different leadoff guys to trying to get some continuity through the middle of the order, which we've been able to do that now that Mike [Napoli] is back," said Farrell. "There's been games on this road trip when we've put together an offensive approach that's consistent with what this team's been known for, and yet those opportunities aren't always cashed in. I'm not at the point of pulling something out of a hat for a lineup, I can tell you that, but we've got to trust in the players that we have and continue to work through this."

Until that happens, the Red Sox will have to fight the sense of futility that confronted them as they left Baltimore following an offensive outage for the ages.

Flannery joins Mut to break down the Isaiah Thomas trade to Boston and what it means for the Celtics this season and in the future. Paul also chats with Mut about the other deals that happened at the NBA's trading deadline

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